If you like lounge hopping, then T3 was made for you
Our long-haul BA flight switched from T5 to T3, which gave us an opportunity to try out a whole host of lounges, including the Qantas lounge. I was looking forward to visiting this space. It’s split over two levels, and from the photographs, it looked like a pretty relaxed and Aussie place to sit. It turned out to be exactly that.
Finding the Qantas Lounge at Heathrow
Most of the T3 lounges are along the same corridor, which makes finding them easy and lounge-hopping even easier. Once you’re through security, follow the signs for the lounges. They’re past the main seating area.
The Qantas lounge is between the Cathay Pacific lounge and the hallway that takes you to the BA and No.1 lounges. The lounge has a beautiful entranceway with sliding doors and a large Qantas logo etched into wood.
Getting into the Qantas Lounge
We visited for breakfast/lunch at 11:15am
Entry to the lounge was easy. There were two staff members working the front desk. We’d arrived at a quiet time, so after a quick conversation with the friendly staffer we walked into the lounge. We were travelling on a first class ticket, and he advised us that we could visit some of the first class lounges in T3.
Entry requirements are based on your status or your travel class.
- If you’re flying business or first class with Qantas you can gain access to this lounge, with one guest.
- If you have Qantas Chairman’s Lounge, Platinum One, Platinum or Gold then you can get into this lounge with one guest.
- Passengers travelling in business or first class on a oneworld airline (that day, and from T3). If you’re connecting in London and come off a oneworld business or first class flight, to fly on another oneworld flight (in any class of travel)
- Emirates passengers travelling in business or first class can also enter, as well as passengers with Platinum or Gold Skywards status.
- You might be able to buy access to this lounge through the Qantas Lounge Pass scheme.
The entrance floor to the Qantas lounge is dominated by a bar, which has a small self-service food area at one end with cold options. There are plenty of seating options around the bar. There’s counter seating with stools on one side and a lower counter with regular seats more suited to dining.
Along the far wall there’s regular table seating, and at the back end of this floor there’s a handful of tables, most are suited for couples but some have space for four people. This section has windows that let in some natural light. There’s a fairly limited view out of them, they face the exterior of the terminal. The second-floor gives you a much better view.
This is a split-level lounge. A grand staircase takes you from the relatively small first floor up to a much bigger second floor.
Second floor at the Qantas Lounge
This has a much bigger footprint than the first floor. It feels less cramped, and it’s also a space with different zones and a decent self-service food option.
As you walk up the stairs, you’re greeted by a stunning bar, surrounded by seating and with windows behind it. The views are much better than the first floor.
The toilets are immediately to the left at the top of the stairs. Walk to the left or the right to access the back of the lounge, where the self-service food is and more seating, along with the private rooms.
There’s something about this lounge that makes it a very relaxing place. It’s tastefully decorated with grey wood panelling on the outer walls. The seating is comfortable, and the layout means that most seats have a level of privacy.
Food and drink at the Qantas Lounge
You have two options for food, self-service options on both floors (with more limited options on the first) and sit-down dining on the first floor.
The menu options are quite limited; on offer at brunch are Eggs Benedict, Smoked Salmon and Avocado, Wombok and Salt & Pepper Squid. The menu does rotate, so you may find different options.
The hot self-service food is all the way at the back of the second floor. We arrived whilst breakfast was out (some pretty standard British hot options plus pastries), and then when we left, they had just put out the lunch. There’s a good selection of hot (and cold) options.
There was five hot options on the menu, a wide selection of coffees, plus alcohol. As we’d just eaten in the AA lounge, and we wanted to save ourselves for the Cathay Pacific lounge, we didn’t eat too much here.
The lower-level bar has what Qantas describe as a Gin Bar, with a selection of “unique and rare” gins.
Facilities at the Qantas Lounge
The bathrooms in the Qantas lounge were a solid 9 out of 10. Bonus points for having paper hand towels (I know it’s not environmentally friendly). Clean, self-contained but marked down slightly as the toilet roll supply was running dangerously low.
The Qantas lounge also has showers. These are located on the second floor, near the bathrooms. They’re a bit on the small side but tastefully decorated. I would say they’re on par with the AA arrivals lounge at T3, and better than the BA showers in T5.
I also spotted a couple of private rooms on the second floor. I’m not sure how you gain entry to these, but I took a couple of photos. They’re not huge, but they can hold four or five adults, and they are nicely decorated. If you’re a VIP or a family, this could give you some much-needed privacy.
There’s wifi throughout the lounge too, although it’s not particularly fast. You can still access the Heathrow wifi in here, and it runs faster.
Verdict on the Qantas London Lounge
I loved this lounge. It’s beautiful without being over the top, and it feels like they’ve created a space that sets you up for an incredibly long flight to Australia. Having it split over two floors, and then within those floors having zones, means that this lounge has something for everyone.
This lounge is for both business and first class passengers, and it caters to both well. It’s better than most business class lounges I’ve been in.
It’s worth saying that this is a quiet lounge, so no boarding announcements are made. Given that it’s frequented by many travellers flying on other airlines, that’s a good thing, as there could be a lot of announcements. There are plenty of screens around the lounge to keep track of your flight.
The Qantas Lounge has a lot of competition in T3. Most business or first-class passengers could try out the AA, BA, and Cathay Pacific Lounges. I would rate the Qantas lounge as the second best option in this terminal. However, it was much quieter than the Cathay First Class lounge (which is smaller and very busy).
If I was travelling in the morning or early afternoon, and I wanted a quiet lounge, with good food and drink, then this would be my number one option. It’s a great place to relax, or work, before a oneworld flight.
Ratings for the Qantas lounge at T3
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